“You’re not invited to my funeral,” would ordinarily be seen as a harsh statement. Imagine the strained relationship that would generate such a strong reaction between two people. We could well envision the irreparable damage a relationship may have suffered to ...

Minneapolis-based painter, Keren Kroul, talks about how her memories of growing up in Israel and South America influence her Jewish identity and her artwork. Sounds interesting, right? It is. You grew up in Mexico, Israel and Costa Rica. How did you end ...

“…and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever and ever.” Oy vey. Two of my dear friends married each other this weekend, and I had ...

Why does a 47-year old man, who has been Jewish for only five years, uproot his life, change careers, and leave a holy community that has become attached to his soul in order to become a rabbi? Because it’s the only way forward.

Playing mahj creates a different sort of bonding between women than one can typically find in the post-college years. Our nights are simple. Whoever is available shows up at 7:00, sits down, and plays.

I’m spending the next year-ish going on Jewish friend dates with the unselfish goal of learning more about joining and growing communities and the more selfish one of growing a Jewish community of my very own.

Thanksgivukkah. By now we all know how about this rare and historic convergence. We all celebrate Hanukkah. We all celebrate Thanksgiving. As the phenomenon of Thanksgivukkah touches every American Jew, it makes sense that not only Jewish media but much ...

To use Tevye’s method of dissecting a problem, on the one hand, Judaism is an ancient religion. We, as Jews, define ourselves by our ability to act within a unified community where our practices bind us to each other and God. By bending Judaism to the aesthetics of a modern world, it loses its identity and ceases to be the community-defining force it has traditionally been.

We all mourn in different ways and for all different types of people. Our tradition does not limit our ability to mourn, rather encourages us all to find ways to deal with death, how we need to deal with death. And for each of us and with each loss, we do not need an agenda or reason to cry. We should not need to explain ourselves. Mourning is as controllable as the death itself and all are deserving of the time to heal.

Our constant access to the world through our new technologies has its costs. You know your life is different today than it was only a few years ago: 1) if you have a list of 20 phone numbers to reach five people; 2) if you struggle to stay in touch with any family members who do not have an email address; 3) if you use your phone to call your family to dinner and the text comes back, “what’s for dinner?” 4) if your feeling of accomplishment is measured in emails deleted; 5) if you are waiting in line at the grocery store and are impatient because you left your smartphone in the car; 6) if you wake up at 2am to go to the bathroom and check your E-mail on your way back to bed.